“What?” Danni mumbled weakly as Caine sat back up.
“The cancer’s gone, Danni. Ashley’s blood destroyed every last cell,” Caine said, taking her trembling hand in his. “It’s finally over.”
Chapter 62
“Look again,” Kale said, needing to be absolutely sure.
“It was posted in July,” Izzy said, pointing towards the post that had been hidden from him as Kale’s mind went back to that day in the hospital when he found Ashley.
He should have killed that fucking orderly when he had the chance, Kale realized, grinding his jaw as he took in the post promising fifty million dollars to whoever was able to get their hands on his mate and the name of the man that he was going to fucking kill.
Vane.
“How are we just finding out about this forum?” Nathan asked, shaking his head in wonder as he took in all the screens that Tattletale filled with posts as it continued tearing through the forum, searching for the keywords that Izzy gave it.
“Because it has nothing to do with the Sentinels,” Kale said as he took in the other post that had been hidden from him, the one that had Izzy, Kara, Indie, Ethan, along with every child in this house listed by species and age and-
“We need to move everyone out of this house,” Kale said, noting that the post was set up as an auction with bidders naming astronomical sums to get their hands on them.
“Yes, we do,” Ethan murmured quietly from his right as John moved closer to the screen where shifters were doing their best to outbid each other for the rights to his granddaughter while Kale noted the name of the member behind everything.
Magnus.
“We’re not going to be able to move Danni and Ashley until we know that they’re okay,” John said, only to shake his head in disgust as they watched the bid on Marc go up another million dollars.
“We need to get the children out of here, now,” Kale bit out, noting that Izzy and Chris’s children made the list as well. He didn’t need to ask to know why they wanted to get their hands on the human children of Sentinels.
They’d do whatever it took to keep Izzy and Chris in line.
“We also need to find out who the fucking leak is,” Chris bit out between clenched teeth as he watched the bid on his mate and children rise.
“Whoever it is, they haven’t had access to anyone in the house since before November,” Ephraim said, his eyes turning red as another post that had been hidden away from the main forum found its way onto one of the monitors.
“Oh, shit…” Nathan said, taking in the names of all the female Pytes in the house.
“Why do you say that?” John asked.
“Because there’s no mention of Kara’s children. They still have her listed as pregnant,” Kale said as his gaze went back to the post on Ashley, noting that they only had basic information on her, but it was more than enough to have every member on the forum trying to claim the bounty simply because she was his. At least now, he knew why there hadn’t been any interest in Vane’s son because it had been a setup from the start.
“They were using the job on Vane to keep tabs on you,” Jacob said, apparently coming to the same conclusion.
“What’s the date that I keep seeing in all the posts for?” Nathan asked, gesturing towards the screens.
“The first full moon in May,” Drew said, sharing a look with Jacob.
“Gives them plenty of time to pull this off,” Nathan murmured absently.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Kale said, gesturing for Izzy to scroll down so that he could see the latest comments on the post for Ashley. “Whoever sent me the warning about this post was hoping that it would be enough to lure me out since I didn’t take the last bait.”
“They’re hoping that you go after Vane,” Jacob said, sending him a curious look before adding, “which is exactly what you’re going to do, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” Kale said, shifting his attention to Ephraim.
“I’ll watch over her,” the Pyte said, his attention never leaving the post for his mate and children as he answered Kale’s unspoken question as he noted the address mentioned in the last comment.
“I’m going,” Chris bit out evenly as he read the comment asking how much his children were worth dead.
“No, you’re not,” Kale said firmly.
“It wasn’t up for discussion,” Chris said, leveling a glare on him.
“No, it isn’t. You’re going to get everyone out of this house and you’re going to take them somewhere safe while I take care of Vane and when I’m done, I’m going to find Magnus and put an end to this,” Kale said as his attention shifted to Izzy, noting that she was already setting Tattletale to work to find out who this Magnus was and-
“Oh, fuck…” Chris bit out as the latest bid on Ashley changed and Kale found himself swallowing hard when he saw who was willing to do whatever it took to get his hands on Ashley.
Logan.
“Kale…” Izzy began, looking as though she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.
“I’ll take care of it,” Kale said hollowly as he made his way to his room and-
He should have killed Logan as soon as he realized that he would never forgive him, Kale realized as he walked into his room and spotted Christofer watching over Ashley. Everything was going to be fine, he tried telling himself as he slowly exhaled while he struggled to stay in control, knowing just how badly this would end if he didn’t put a stop to this.
He couldn’t lose them.
He couldn’t…
He couldn’t fucking let this happen, Kale thought, swallowing hard while he stood there watching Christofer push a lock of Ashley’s beautiful blonde hair behind her ear with a fond smile as he leaned down and took in her scent. He started at her neck and slowly made his way over her shoulder and down her arm, ending at her pulse before closing his eyes and mumbled, “Thank god.”
“They’re both fine,” Christofer said, slowly exhaling as he stood up.
“Be sure,” Kale said, grinding his jaw as he stood there, struggling to hold it together.
When Christofer opened his mouth to argue, Kale bit out hollowly, “Be sure,” as he clenched his hands into fists to stop them from shaking as he tried to stop thinking about the way that Ashley screamed his name when the pain had become too much. He’d never felt so helpless in his life, knowing that his mate was suffering and there was nothing that he could do but to let it happen. Ashley wanted to help Danni and as much as Kale would have loved to have been able to stop her, he knew that Ashley never would have forgiven him. His mate was an incredibly kind woman and it would have destroyed her knowing that a woman and child died when she could have done something to help them.
“Did I ever thank you?” Cloe asked as she joined him with her son fast asleep in her arms.
“For what?” Kale asked, watching as Christofer double-checked to make sure that Ashley was okay, only to bite back a chuckle when Ashley grumbled in her sleep and rolled over onto her side.
“For watching over us,” Cloe murmured as she leaned down and kissed her son’s forehead.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kale said as his gaze flickered to little Gavin and-
“Quinn,” Cloe said, making him frown only to add, “Gavin Quinn Petersen. We named him after this cranky shifter that doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s a good man.”
“I’m not a good man,” Kale said, unable to look away from Ashley.
“Then how do you explain what you did for Danni?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Kale said, knowing that Ashley deserved better than someone like him.
“No, of course, you didn’t, and all those times you flew across the world to search for a cure? Or the favors that you called in to help her?” Cloe said with a sad shake of her head before adding, “Then there’s what you did for me.”
“I shot you and set your back on fire,” he bit out, wondering why she was so determined to see some
thing in him that wasn’t there.
“You removed the mark that the shifter who killed my family left on my back and made sure that I would never have to worry about him coming after me again,” Cloe said before softly adding, “You don’t have to do this alone,” letting him know that she’d heard everything.
“Yes,” Kale said with a sad smile as he leaned down and kissed Ashley’s forehead, “I do.”
Chapter 63
“I love this bed,” Ashley mumbled with a heartfelt sigh as she blindly reached up and grabbed hold of the pillow that felt like a cloud and pulled it closer to join the others.
She was never leaving this bed again, Ashley decided, no longer caring how she got back here because none of that mattered, not when she was home again. As long as she was in this bed, there was no pain, no biting back screams of agony, afraid that she would do something to-
“Oh, my god!” Ashley mumbled, trying not to panic as she shoved the blankets aside and sat up only to drop back on the bed with a sigh when she saw the piece of paper on the nightstand with the words, They’re both fine, neatly written across it.
Closing her eyes, she slowly exhaled and-
“It worked,” Ashley said, her lips pulled up into a smile as she reached down and pulled the covers back over her as the realization that she wasn’t a mistake had her releasing a shaky breath. She was here for a reason. She was-
Completely in love with her mate, Ashley thought as she rolled onto her side and saw the note waiting for her on the pillow. Smiling, she reached over and traced her fingertips over the words, I love you, as she found herself looking around their bedroom, looking for the cranky shifter that she loved more than anything only to frown when she saw him sitting in the corner, fast asleep.
He looked so exhausted, she thought, lying there as she watched him, wishing that she could do something to make things better for him. He was such a good man, Ashley thought as she grabbed a blanket and pulled it around her shoulders as she made her way across the room so that she could climb onto the cranky shifter’s lap. Before she was finished settling on his lap, Kale was wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer as he kissed her forehead.
“How are you feeling?” Kale asked as she snuggled in closer to the man that she loved more than anything.
“Better,” Ashley mumbled sleepily as she pressed a kiss against the side of his neck and slowly inhaled, taking in Kale’s scent as she prepared herself for the barrage of competing scents that normally accompanied the move only to sigh in relief when the only thing that she smelled was Kale’s comforting scent.
“No pain?” he asked, absently running his hand over her back.
“None,” Ashley grumbled unhappily, earning a chuckle as she sat there, wallowing in self-pity, knowing that she could no longer pretend that she didn’t need blood to survive, not when it made everything better and definitely not when it allowed her to help someone. For that alone, she was going to have to suck it up and start drinking blood every day, something that she’d been hoping to avoid.
“Do you want to tell me why you weren’t drinking enough blood?”
“I’m afraid,” Ashley grumbled on a long sigh.
“Of?” Kale asked as he kissed her forehead.
Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Ashley absently traced circles on his chest as she admitted, “Everything.”
“Do you want to narrow that down for me?” he asked, reaching up to push a strand of her hair back behind her ear.
“Not really,” Ashley mumbled pathetically, earning a heartfelt sigh and another kiss that made this somewhat better.
“Try,” Kale said against her forehead.
“I don’t like that part of myself,” she admitted quietly.
“I see,” Kale murmured as he ran his fingertips along her jaw. “That’s too bad because I love that part of you.”
Biting back a sigh, she mumbled, “No, you don’t.”
“I love anything that keeps you safe, mo ghrá,” he said, turning his head so that he could brush his lips against hers. “You scared me.”
“I know,” Ashley said, reaching up to run her fingertips along his jaw, enjoying the feel of early morning stubble teasing her fingertips as she thought of the pain that she saw in his eyes earlier. “I couldn’t leave her like that knowing I could help.”
“I know,” Kale murmured with a sad smile, looking lost in thought as he leaned down and kissed her again.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting back so that she could cup his face in her hands as she searched his gaze, trying to figure out why he looked so upset, only to feel her stomach turn when she realized what was wrong.
“Oh, my god, the baby,” Ashley said, her voice breaking as she dropped her hand to her belly and-
“Shhhh, the baby’s safe, mo ghrá,” Kale promised, leaning in to kiss her as he placed his hand over hers. “She’s safe.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip as she searched his expression, looking for any signs that he was lying to her.
“I’m very sure. Your brother checked your blood before I brought you home. There was no sign of cancer,” Kale said, brushing his lips against hers one last time before he sat back with that same sad look on his face that was starting to scare her.
“Then why do you look so sad?” Ashley asked, gently caressing his jaw as he entwined their fingers together where they laid against her belly.
“I have to do something that I should have done a long time ago,” he said, glancing down at their entwined hands.
“What’s that?” she asked as she gently caressed his jaw.
“I have to kill my best friend,” Kale said quietly, his beautiful emerald eyes turning silver as she felt a muscle in his jaw tighten beneath her hand while she tried to make sense out of what he’d said.
“What are you talking about?” Ashley asked, releasing his hand so that she could reach up and cup his face in her hands again. “Kale?”
“I should have done it a long time ago.”
“Why?” Ashley asked as Kale watched his hand gently caress her belly through her shirt.
Shaking his head, he said, “It doesn’t matter.”
Pulling his gaze up to meet hers, Ashley said, “Yes, it does.”
Nodding absently, Kale said, “Would you believe that I didn’t hate him until today? For over nine hundred years, Logan’s made it clear that he hated me and would never forgive me for what happened, but no matter how many fucking times that he came after me, I could never hate him. I just…”
“You love him,” she said softly.
“He’s the closest thing to a brother that I have,” Kale murmured absently.
“Then don’t do it,” Ashley said, leaning in to brush her lips against his.
“I don’t have a choice,” he said, wrapping his arms back around her.
“Yes, you do,” Ashley said, turning her head so that she could kiss his whiskered cheek before she sat back.
“It doesn’t matter anyway. I need to finish this job first, which means that I need to go away for a few days,” Kale said, not looking any happier about it than she was.
She hated when he left.
“For how long?” she asked, deciding that she was going to stop him from going after his best friend, knowing that it would destroy him. She didn’t know what happened, and at the moment, she really didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was that she knew that he didn’t want to do it.
She was going to ask Jacob about what he knew about Logan and hope that it was enough to-
“And to keep you safe, I’m going to have to bring you to a compound,” Kale announced as she sat there, absently nodding as she decided that perhaps she’d worry about Logan later since right now it seemed that she had something else to worry about.
Chapter 64
“I’m pathetic,” Indie admitted with a soft sigh as she pressed her forehead against her bedroom door, hoping that the admission would be e
nough to make her finally do this, but…
She was definitely pathetic, Indie decided as she turned around and dropped her bag on the floor as she sat down and resigned herself to wait until everyone else left for patrol. Maybe she was going about this the wrong way, she thought, settling to get more comfortable against the door as she glanced at her bedroom window and debated taking the coward’s way out. Even if she twisted her ankle jumping out the window, she could probably manage to hobble into town and buy a ticket for the first bus leaving town before anyone realized that she was gone.
Then again, with her luck, she’d probably break every bone in her body and end up lying there until the jerk that she was really hoping wasn’t standing outside her bedroom door still, would find her first and she’d be forced to talk to him. Since she really didn’t want to talk to him about that night, that wasn’t really going to work for her. In fact, she’d be more than fine if they never talked about it, but the jerk, as she now thought of him, wouldn’t let it go.
When she woke up after the incident that she would really like to pretend never happened, it was to find Chris and Trace tackling Ethan to the floor as he told her just how sorry he was that he hurt her. It had taken her a moment to figure out what he was talking about and when she did, she turned away from him, mumbled something about letting him go, and pretended to fall asleep. For about an hour after that, she was forced to lie on her side and squeeze her eyes shut as she waited for Ethan to finally leave and when he did, she made her escape.
It had taken longer than it normally should have, but that probably had something to do with the fact that she’d been forced to bring her IV pole with her. Once she finally made it upstairs, she quickly made her way to her room, quietly closed her door behind her and went to lock it, only to remember that she didn’t have a lock on her door. The reminder led to her trying to push her bureau in front of her door only to give up when she realized that she wasn’t going to be able to push it across the room by herself.
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